His Rival

Shadows of the Past Part 2

Hey guys, Jess here!

I'm back! And I'm extremely elated to announce that I'm ringing in the new year with the longest chapter of "His Rival" yet (49.9 pages/ 17,330 words)!!! I had to take quite a few breaks myself while writing it, so be sure to pace yourselves!

If you have any questions or comments about this chapter, let me know; I'd like to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Keith inhaled deeply before beginning, like he was gathering up strength to lift the largest of weight off of his chest. After all of this time, he was finally going to reveal the darkest depths of his backstory.

"As you've probably realized, Hunk was right that day. That was the start of James' bullying of me, and it only grew worse from there.

He'd use whatever he could as an opportunity to ridicule me, like that time that you got a higher score than me in that flight assessment. And sometimes it was even physical, such as that first time that he tripped me during lunch.

"First?" you lifted, watching as he brought his hands to his lap. "You're saying that that wasn't the only time he physically harmed you?"

"Yeah, among other things." His low tone quavered slightly with the implications of that statement, pausing a bit as he further explained. "He never shoved me against a wall or beat me up or anything. That'd make it obvious and he definitely didn't have the strength to even attempt something like that anyways." Right, the incident definitely revealed just how much of a weakling James was. "But he still found ways to hurt me when others weren't around."

"Such as?"

"Remember the tutoring that he told you about? James took full advantage of all of that." Your gaze hardened slightly at that revelation; it was to be expected considering how all of their other interactions at that time played out. For better or for the worst, James was the largest opportunist you had ever met.

"So, you're saying that he used those tutoring sessions to bully you?" It was quite the calculated move on his part; he was able to get away with it all under the guise that he was helping Keith with his schoolwork.

"It gave him the perfect opportunity. There was no one else around, so nothing was standing in his way. And it wasn't something that I could get out of either, so I was trapped." You sighed at the familiarity of his predicament, facepalming at your own negligence. You of all people should've been able to recognize how he was caged in such a way.

"I can't believe I was so oblivious to all of that"

"(Y/n), don't blame yourself, I was just as oblivious as to what James was doing to you behind closed doors" his expression softened slightly in reassurance, melting the wight off your shoulders as he changed tactics. "I am curious though, how much do you remember about the whole thing with him tutoring me?"

"Well... I remember he was smug after some sessions, bragging to me about how he had taught you a lesson." You scoffed a bit as his arrogance, your gaze falling to the grey bedspread as you further analyzed his past behavior. "Although, I realize now that there was a double meaning to that, just like with most of the other stuff he said at that time.

But there were also a lot of times that he ranted to me about how uncooperative you were, which must've meant that he didn't have much luck that day. That frustration was more at the beginning though, before he broke you in."

"I tried my best to not let what he was doing affect me; I really didn't start caving in until Shiro disappeared" Keith expressed, his brows coming together as he lamented how everything had fallen apart. "And it was a sharp downhill from there."